BJP wants creation of new districts, PDP says no need

Srinagar, Apr 06: Differences have again emerged between the coalition partners over the BJP’s demand for creation of new districts in the Jammu region.
The BJP has been supporting the present agitation in Nowshera of Jammu region for the creation of new districts.
The state government had, on March 9, announced new posts of ADCs to work on rotational basis in Nowshera, SunderbaniKalakote and Kortranka areas in an attempt to defuse the crisis. However, the formula was rejected by the residents of the areas.
Justifying their demand, the ruling BJP said there was a “requirement” for creation of new districts in the state.
The party’s State Spokesperson, Arun Kumar Gupta, told The Kashmir Monitor, “New districts shall be created based on population of the state. The areas having less population have been granted district status while areas having large population are yet to get the district status, which is unfair.”
He said that a commission should be set up to check requirement for any new districts.
The BJP leader said that there are “four to five new districts” in the Jammu division whose geographical area was “about 70 per cent more than that of Kashmir valley”.
The BJP alliance partner, PDP, believes that there was “no need” to create new districts.
“Demand for creation of new districts may be demand of the BJP, not the stand of the government and the PDP,” Rafi Ahmad Mir, said, who is PDP Spokesperson.
He said that new districts were created when Ghulam Nabi Azad was heading the Congress-PDP government.
“There is a need to strengthen them,” Mir added.
In 2006, the Azad-led government created eight new districts in the state.
In Kashmir, Bandipore, Shopian, Kulgam, and Ganderbal districts were created, while Samba, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi were created in Jammu.
The BJP leader claimed that Kashmir had three districts before June 1979 while Jammu had only six.
“The then-State Government created three more districts in the valley, without constituting any commission,” Gupta said.
“In Kashmir Valley the districts with very small areas like Kulgam, Bandipura, Shopian, and Ganderbal were created,” he said.
Gupta said, “Shopian, which was made district in 2006 has an area of 312 sq Km with only one Tehsil under it, as per 2011 census.”
The BJP believes that there was a need to create more districts in Jammu, Kathua and Udhampur.